Passive component and electronic device

ABSTRACT

In an exemplary embodiment, a passive component, which is a surface mounting component, includes: a substrate body having insulating property; an internal conductor built into the substrate body; and at least one external electrode provided on a planar mounting face of the substrate body and electrically connected to the internal conductor; wherein the external electrode has a face parallel with the planar mounting face of the substrate body, and a concaved part which is inwardly concaved relative to the parallel face toward the substrate body and is located, as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the parallel face, inside the parallel surface so as to be surrounded by the parallel surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/791,863, filed Feb. 14, 2020, which claims priority to JapanesePatent Application No. 2019-036843, filed Feb. 28, 2019, each disclosureof which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Theapplicant herein explicitly rescinds and retracts any prior disclaimersor disavowals made in any parent, child or related prosecution historywith regard to any subject matter supported by the present application.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a passive component and an electronicdevice.

Description of the Related Art

The progress of high-density mounting of passive components, spurred bythe functional enhancement of electronic devices, is making passivecomponents smaller and shorter in height. When mounting passivecomponents on a circuit board with a solder, formation of solder filletson the passive components increases the mounting area and thus makes itdifficult to achieve high-density mounting. In light of the above, coilcomponents are known, wherein both end parts of a coil conductor are ledout to a mounting face of a laminate body and connected to externalelectrodes provided on this mounting face, in order to prevent solderfillets from forming (refer to Patent Literature 1, for example).

Also known are constitutions, wherein projecting parts are provided onthe surfaces of a substrate body where terminal electrodes are provided,in order to improve the joining strength between the substrate body andthe terminal electrodes (refer to Patent Literature 2, for example). Inthis case, the component size increases.

BACKGROUND ART LITERATURES

[Patent Literature 1] Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-348939

[Patent Literature 2] Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2006-324490

SUMMARY

Passive components are mounted on circuit boards with a solder suppliedto land patterns on the circuit boards. With the increase in themounting densities of passive components on circuit boards, passivecomponents are becoming smaller and lighter in weight. A smaller passivecomponent means smaller land patterns on a circuit board, which reducesthe amount of solder supplied to the land patterns. As a result, thejoining strength between the passive component and the circuit boarddecreases.

An object of the present invention is to provide a passive componentthat can prevent its joining strength with a circuit board fromdecreasing, while preventing the component size from increasing.

The present invention is a passive component, which is a surfacemounting component, comprising: a substrate body having insulatingproperty; an internal conductor built into the substrate body; and anexternal electrode provided on a mounting face of the substrate body andelectrically connected to the internal conductor; wherein the externalelectrode has a face parallel with the mounting face of the substratebody, and a concaved part which is concaved with reference to theparallel face toward the mounting-face side of the substrate body andwhose contour at the parallel face is formed by a round plane figure(roughly or substantially circular or oval, including a shape of acircle or oval, a part of which is missing).

In the aforementioned constitution, the constitution may be such that:the shape of the concaved part at the parallel face is circular or oval;and the external electrode has the concaved part provided on the innerside of an outer edge of the external electrode, and a groove partextending from the concaved part to the outer edge of the externalelectrode and open to the outer edge of the external electrode.

In the aforementioned constitution, the constitution may be such thatthe mounting face of the substrate body is exposed at the bottom face ofthe groove part.

In the aforementioned constitution, the constitution may be such that:multiple external electrodes—all identical to the aforementionedexternal electrode—are provided on the mounting face of the substratebody; the multiple external electrodes include a first externalelectrode placed toward one side of a pair of opposing sides, and asecond external electrode placed toward the other side, of the mountingface of the substrate body; the groove part of the first externalelectrode opens to, among the outer edges of the first externalelectrode, the outer edge facing the second external electrode; and thegroove part of the second external electrode opens to, among the outeredges of the second external electrode, the outer edge facing the firstexternal electrode.

In the aforementioned constitution, the constitution may be such thatthe groove part of the first external electrode and the groove part ofthe second external electrode are open in a staggered manner in adirection intersecting the direction in which the first externalelectrode and the second external electrode are facing each other.

In the aforementioned constitution, the constitution may be such thatthe concaved part is open to an outer edge of the external electrode.

In the aforementioned constitution, the constitution may be such that:multiple external electrodes—all identical to the aforementionedexternal electrode—are provided on the mounting face of the substratebody; the multiple external electrodes include a first externalelectrode placed toward one side of a pair of opposing sides, and asecond external electrode placed toward the other side, of the mountingface of the substrate body; the concaved part of the first externalelectrode opens to, among the outer edges of the first externalelectrode, the outer edge facing the second external electrode; theconcaved part of the second external electrode opens to, among the outeredges of the second external electrode, the outer edge facing the firstexternal electrode; and the concaved part of the first externalelectrode and the concaved part of the second external electrode areprovided in a staggered manner in a direction intersecting the directionin which the first external electrode and the second external electrodeare facing each other.

In the aforementioned constitution, the constitution may be such that:multiple external electrodes—all identical to the aforementionedexternal electrode—are provided on the mounting face of the substratebody; the multiple external electrodes include a first externalelectrode placed toward one side of a pair of opposing sides, and asecond external electrode placed toward the other side, of the mountingface of the substrate body; and the concaved part of the first externalelectrode and the concaved part of the second external electrode areprovided at positions symmetrical to each other with respect to thecenter of the mounting face of the substrate body.

In the aforementioned constitution, the constitution may be such that:the internal conductor includes a lead conductor which is led out to themounting face of the substrate body and connected to the externalelectrode; the tip face representing a cross-section at the tip of thelead conductor is concaved from the mounting face of the substrate body;and the concaved part is formed as a result of the external electrodecovering the mounting face of the substrate body and the tip face of thelead conductor.

The present invention is an electronic device comprising: theaforementioned passive component; and a circuit board on which thepassive component is mounted as a result of an external electrode of thepassive component joined to a land pattern with a solder.

The present invention is an electronic device comprising: a passivecomponent having a substrate body having insulating property, aninternal conductor built into the substrate body, and an externalelectrode provided on a mounting face of the substrate body andelectrically connected to the internal conductor; and a circuit board onwhich the passive component is mounted as a result of the externalelectrode joined to a land pattern with a solder; wherein the externalelectrode has a face parallel with the mounting face of the substratebody, a concaved part which is concaved with reference to the parallelface toward the mounting face side of the substrate body and is providedon the inner side of an outer edge of the external electrode and whosecontour at the parallel face is formed by a round plane figure (roughlyor substantially circular or oval, including a shape of a circle oroval, a part of which is missing), and a groove part extending from theconcaved part and open to, among the outer edges of the externalelectrode, an outer edge positioned away from the land pattern, otherthan outer edges on the outer periphery of the mounting face of thesubstrate body.

According to the present invention, increase in component size can beprevented, while at the same time decrease in the joining strength of apassive component with respect to a circuit board due to a reducedamount of solder reflecting a smaller passive component size can beprevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device according tothe invention under the present application for patent, while FIG. 1B isa cross-sectional view of an electronic device representing acomparative example.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the coil component pertaining tothe first embodiment of the invention under the present application forpatent, while FIG. 2B is a transparent perspective view showing theinside thereof.

FIGS. 3A to 3D are views of cross-sections A-A to D-D in FIG. 2B,respectively.

FIG. 4 is a plan view, looking at the bottom face, through the inside,from the top face side, of the coil component pertaining to the firstembodiment of the invention under the present application for patent.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of the coil componentpertaining to the second embodiment of the invention under the presentapplication for patent, while FIG. 5C is a plan view, looking at thebottom face, through the inside, from the top face side, of the coilcomponent in the second embodiment of the invention under the presentapplication for patent.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are drawings showing other examples of the concaved partsformed on the external electrodes.

FIG. 7 is a plan view, looking at the bottom face, through the inside,from the top face side, of the coil component pertaining to the thirdembodiment of the invention under the present application for patent.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing another example of the groove partsprovided on the external electrodes.

FIG. 9 is a plan view, looking at the bottom face, through the inside,from the top face side, of the coil component pertaining to the fourthembodiment of the invention under the present application for patent.

FIG. 10A is a transparent perspective view, while FIG. 10B is a planview showing the inside, from the top face side, and FIG. 10C is a planview looking at the bottom face, through the inside, from the top faceside, of the coil component pertaining to the fifth embodiment of theinvention under the present application for patent.

FIGS. 11A to 11C are views of cross-sections A-A to C-C in FIG. 10A,respectively.

FIG. 12 is a drawing showing another example of the concaved partsformed on the external electrodes.

FIG. 13A is a perspective view of the coil component pertaining to thesixth embodiment of the invention under the present application forpatent, while FIGS. 13B to 13D are views of cross-sections A-A to C-C inFIG. 13A, respectively.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the coil component where the leadconductor is led out to the bottom face of the substrate body afterbranching into multiple conductors.

FIG. 15A is a perspective view of the coil component pertaining to theseventh embodiment of the invention under the present application forpatent, while FIGS. 15B to 15D are views of cross-sections A-A to C-C inFIG. 15A, respectively.

FIG. 16A is a perspective view of the capacitor component pertaining tothe eighth embodiment of the invention under the present application forpatent, while FIG. 16B is a view of cross-section A-A in FIG. 16A.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device comprising thecoil component pertaining to the first embodiment of the invention underthe present application for patent.

FIG. 18 is a plan view showing an example, when groove parts areprovided on the external electrodes, of the position relationshipsbetween the groove parts and the land patterns on the circuit board.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SYMBOLS

1 Substrate body

2 Mounting face

3 External electrode

4 Face

5 Concaved part

6 Circuit board

7 Land pattern

8 Solder

9 External electrode

10 Substrate body

12 Bottom face

14 Top face

16 a, 16 b End face

18 a, 18 b Side face

20 to 26 Side

28, 30 Center line

32 Center

50 to 50 d Internal conductor

52 to 52 c Coil conductor

54 to 54 c Lead conductor

56 to 56 c Lead conductor

58 a to 58 c Conductor

60 Capacitor conductor

62 a, 62 b Lead conductor

70 to 70 d External conductor

72 to 72 d External conductor

80 to 80 d Concaved part

81 Groove part

82 to 82 d Concaved part

83 Groove part

86 to 86 b Face

88 to 88 b Face

90 Circuit board

92 Land pattern

94 Solder

110, 210 Passive component

500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100 Coil component

1200 Capacitor component

100, 200, 1300 Electronic device

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

First, the constitutions as well as operations and effects of theinvention under the present application for patent are explained. FIG.1A is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to theinvention under the present application for patent, while FIG. 1B is across-sectional view of an electronic device representing a comparativeexample. As shown in FIG. 1A, the electronic device 100 is such that apassive component 110 comprising a substrate body 1 with a built-ininternal conductor and external electrodes 3 provided on a mounting face2 of the substrate body 1, is mounted on a circuit board 6. Eachexternal electrode 3 has a face 4 parallel with the mounting face 2 ofthe substrate body 1, as well as a concaved part 5 which is concavedwith reference to the parallel face 4 toward the mounting face 2 side ofthe substrate body 1. The concaved part 5 is such that its shape at theface 4 is circular or oval. The passive component 110 is mounted on acircuit board 6 as a result of each external electrode 3 joined to aland pattern 7 on the circuit board 6 with a solder 8.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the electronic device 200 has a passive component210 mounted on a circuit board 6. The surface of each external electrode9 of the passive component 210 is formed by a face 4 parallel with themounting face 2 of the substrate body 1 and no concaved part is providedthereon.

The acceleration of size reduction of passive components is making landpatterns 7 on circuit boards 6 smaller and thereby reducing the amountsof solder 8 supplied to the land patterns 7. This means that, when thesurface of the external electrode 9 is formed only by a face 4 parallelwith the mounting face 2 of the substrate body 1, as is the case of thepassive component 210, the solder 8 thickness between the externalelectrode 9 and the land pattern 7 becomes thinner, and the joiningstrength between the passive component 210 and the circuit board 6decreases as a result.

With the passive component 110, on the other hand, the externalelectrode 3 has a face 4 parallel with the mounting face 2 of thesubstrate body 1, as well as a concaved part 5 which is concaved withreference to the parallel face 4 toward the mounting face 2 side of thesubstrate body 1 and whose shape at the face 4 is circular or oval. As aresult, the solder 8 joining the external electrode 3 and the landpattern 7 is joined to the face 4 of the external electrode 3 and alsoenters the concaved part 5. This means that, even when the size of thepassive component 110 is reduced and the amount of the solder 8 suppliedto the land pattern 7 decreases, the solder 8 thickness increases at theconcaved part 5 and this, together with the anchor effect of the solder8 that has entered the concaved part 5, can prevent the joining strengthbetween the passive component 110 and the circuit board 6 fromdecreasing. Because the shape of the concaved part 5 at the face 4 iscircular or oval, decrease in the joining strength between the passivecomponent 110 and the circuit board 6 can be prevented in all directionsparallel with the face 4. Additionally, because the concaved part 5 isprovided, but no projecting part is provided, on the external electrode3, increase in the size of the passive component 110 can be prevented.As described above, because the external electrode 3 has the face 4parallel with the mounting face 2 of the substrate body 1, as well asthe concaved part 5 which is concaved with reference to this parallelface 4 toward the mounting face 2 side of the substrate body 1 and whoseshape at the face 4 is circular or oval, decrease in the joiningstrength of the passive component 110 with respect to the circuit board6 can be prevented, even when the size of the passive component 110 isreduced. Moreover, increase in the size of the passive component 110 canbe prevented.

Embodiments of the invention under the present application for patentare explained below by referring to the drawings as deemed appropriate.Constitutional elements that are common in multiple drawings are denotedwith the same reference symbols throughout the multiple drawings. Itshould be noted that, for the sake of explanation, the scale in whicheach drawing was written is not necessarily accurate.

The coil component 500 pertaining to the first embodiment of theinvention under the present application for patent is explained byreferring to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A to 3D, and 4. FIG. 2A is a perspectiveview showing the coil component 500 pertaining to the first embodimentof the invention under the present application for patent, while FIG. 2Bis a transparent perspective view showing the inside thereof. FIGS. 3Ato 3D are views of cross-sections A-A to D-D in FIG. 2B, respectively.FIG. 4 is a plan view, looking at the bottom face, through the inside,from the top-face side, of the coil component 500 pertaining to thefirst embodiment of the invention under the present application forpatent. It should be noted that, in FIG. 4, the internal conductorprovided in the substrate body 10 is not shown for the sake ofillustrative clarity. As shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A to 3D, and 4, thecoil component 500 comprises a substrate body 10, an internal conductor50 built into the substrate body 10, and external electrodes 70, 72provided on a mounting face, among all surfaces, of the substrate body10.

The substrate body 10 is shaped as a rectangular solid having a bottomface 12, a top face 14, a pair of end faces 16 a, 16 b, and a pair ofside faces 18 a, 18 b. The bottom face 12 is a mounting face, while thetop face 14 is a face on the side opposite to the bottom face 12. Thepair of end faces 16 a, 16 b are faces connected to the short sides ofthe bottom face 12 and top face 14, while the pair of side faces 18 a,18 b are faces connected to the long sides of the bottom face 12 and topface 14. It should be noted that the substrate body 10 is not limited tohaving a perfect rectangular solid shape; instead, each apex may berounded, each ridge (boundary part of each face) may be rounded, or eachface may be curved, etc., for example. In other words, the term“rectangular solid shape” also includes these roughly rectangular solidshapes.

The substrate body 10 has insulating property. The substrate body 10 maybe formed by a magnetic material, or it may be formed by a non-magneticmaterial. Magnetic materials include, for example, Ni—Zn, Mn—Zn, andother ferrite materials, Fe—Si—Cr, Fe—Si—Al, Fe—Si—Cr—Al, and other softmagnetic alloy materials, Fe, Ni, and other magnetic metal materials,amorphous magnetic metal materials, nanocrystal magnetic metalmaterials, and resins containing metal magnetic grains, and the like.Non-magnetic materials include, for example, silicon oxide (SiO₂),aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), zirconium oxide (ZrO₂), titanium oxide (TiO₂),and other inorganic materials, thermosetting resins and other resinmaterials, borosilicate glass and other glass materials, and materialsobtained by mixing an inorganic material or other filler into a resinmaterial, and the like.

The internal conductor 50 is formed by, for example, copper, aluminum,nickel, silver, platinum, palladium, or other metal material, or analloy material containing the foregoing. The internal conductor 50includes a coil conductor 52 that forms a coil, as well as leadconductors 54, 56 led out from the coil conductor 52. The coil conductor52 extends radially. The coil conductor 52 has individual turn units asprescribed, and it also has a coil axis crossing at right angles with aface defined by the individual turn units. The bottom face 12 and topface 14 of the substrate body 10 are faces intersecting (such ascrossing at right angles) the coil axis. The end faces 16 a, 16 b andside faces 18 a, 18 b of the substrate body 10 are faces notintersecting the coil axis, but parallel with the coil axis.

The lead conductor 54 is led out straight from, of the pair of end partsof the coil conductor 52, the end part positioned on the top face 14side of the substrate body 10, toward the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10. The lead conductor 56 is led out straight from, ofthe pair of end parts of the coil conductor 52, the end part positionedon the bottom face 12 side of the substrate body 10, toward the bottomface 12 of the substrate body 10. In other words, one of the end partsof the lead conductors 54, 56 is connected to the coil conductor 52. Theother end part of the lead conductors 54, 56 is provided in a mannerconcaved from the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. The distancefrom the portion, most concaved from the bottom face 12 of the substratebody 10, of the tip face representing a cross-section at the tip of eachlead conductor 54 or 56, to the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10,is approx. 5 μm to 20 μm, for example. The diameter of each leadconductor 54 or 56 is approx. 50 μm to 300 μm, for example.

The external electrodes 70, 72 are external terminals for surfacemounting. The external electrode 70 is provided on the bottom face 12 ofthe substrate body 10, on the side of a side 20 of the bottom face 12.The external electrode 72 is provided on the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10, on the side of a side 22 of the bottom face 12. Thesides 20, 22 are a pair of opposing short sides. The external electrodes70, 72 are provided only on the bottom face 12, among all surfaces, ofthe substrate body 10, and not provided on the top face 14, end faces 16a, 16 b, or side faces 18 a, 18 b. In other words, the externalelectrodes 70, 72 are each a monohedral electrode provided only on oneface, among all surfaces, of the substrate body 10.

The external electrode 70 is connected to the lead conductor 54 exposedon the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. The external electrode72 is connected to the lead conductor 56 exposed on the bottom face 12of the substrate body 10. The external electrodes 70, 72 are formed bymultiple metal layers, for example. The external electrodes 70, 72 havea multi-layer structure comprising, for example: a bottom layer formedby copper, aluminum, nickel, silver, platinum, palladium, or other metalmaterial or an alloy material containing the foregoing; a middle layerformed by silver or a conductive resin containing silver; and a toplayer being a plating layer of nickel and tin. It should be noted thatthe layer structure of the external electrodes 70, 72 is not limited tothe one illustrated; instead, an intermediate layer may be providedbetween each pair of layers, or a topmost layer may be provided on topof the top layer, and the like.

The external electrode 70 has a face 86 parallel with the bottom face 12of the substrate body 10, as well as a concaved part 80 which isconcaved with reference to this parallel face 86 toward the bottom face12 side of the substrate body 10. The external electrode 72 has a face88 parallel with the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10, as well asa concaved part 82 which is concaved with reference to this parallelface 88 toward the bottom face 12 side of the substrate body 10. Itshould be noted that the term “parallel face” used here does not mean“parallel” in the strictest sense, and a slight inclination, etc.,corresponding to a manufacturing error or so may be included.

The concaved parts 80, 82 have a circular shape at the parallel faces86, 88, assume a spherically concaved shape, and are positioned on theinner side of the outer edges of the external electrodes 70, 72. Aspherical recess indicates a shape characterized in that the recesseddepth is shallower on the outer periphery portion of the recess and therecessed depth becomes deeper toward the center part of the recess. Aspherical concave can also be described as a dome-shaped concave orreverse dome shape. It should be noted that the term “circular shape”used here does not mean “circular shape” in the strictest sense, and itmay include circular shapes that are slightly distorted (due toinevitable manufacturing distortions, for example). The concaved part 80of the external electrode 70 is formed, for example, at the positionwhere the lead conductor 54 is exposed from the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10, in such a way that the tip face of the lead conductor54 is concaved from the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10.Similarly, the concaved part 82 of the external electrode 72 is formed,for example, at the position where the lead conductor 56 is exposed fromthe bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10, in such a way that the tipface of the lead conductor 56 is concaved from the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10.

The concaved parts 80, 82 are provided, for example, at positionssymmetrical to each other with respect to a center line 28 passingthrough the respective centers of the sides 24, 26, representing a pairof long sides, of the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. Thedepths H of the deepest parts of the concaved parts 80, 82 from thefaces 86, 88 are approx. 5 μm to 20 μm, for example, and 10 μm in oneexample. The diameters D of the concaved parts 80, 82 at the faces 86,88 are 50 μm to 300 μm, for example, and 150 μm in one example.

Now, a method for manufacturing the coil component 500 is explained. Thecoil component 500 is formed through steps including those in whichmultiple green sheets (insulating sheets) are laminated. A green sheetis an insulating precursor that will constitute a substrate body 10,etc., and is formed, for example, by applying a slurry of insulatingmaterial in a film shape using the doctor blade method, etc.

First, multiple green sheets are prepared. Of the multiple green sheets,some green sheets are laser-processed to form through holes atprescribed positions. Next, a conductive material is applied by aprinting method, for example, on the green sheets in which the throughholes have been formed, to form precursors to a coil conductor 52 andlead conductors 54, 56. When sintered, these will become a coilconductor 52 and lead conductors 54, 56.

Next, multiple green sheets are stacked in a prescribed order, and thena pressure is applied in the stacking direction to pressure-bond themultiple green sheets. Thereafter, the pressure-bonded green sheets arecut into individual chips using a dicer, by press-cutting, etc., andthen sintered at a prescribed temperature. Here, for the conductivematerial used to form a coil conductor 52 and lead conductors 54, 56,using a material whose shrinkage upon sintering is greater than that ofthe insulating material used to form a substrate body 10, allows astructure to be obtained where the tip faces of the lead conductors 54,56 are concaved from the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. As aresult of this sintering, a substrate body 10 in which a coil conductor52 and lead conductors 54, 56 are provided, is formed.

Next, external electrodes 70, 72 are formed on the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10. The external electrodes 70, 72 are formed bypaste-printing, plating, sputtering or other method used in thin-filmprocesses. Because the tip faces of the lead conductors 54, 56 areconcaved from the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10, a concavedpart 80 is formed on the external electrode 70, while a concaved part 82is formed on the external electrode 72.

According to the coil component 500, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D, theexternal electrode 70 has a face 86 parallel with the bottom face 12 ofthe substrate body 10, as well as a concaved part 80 which is concavedwith reference to this parallel face 86 toward the bottom face 12 sideof the substrate body 10 and whose shape at the face 86 is circular. Theexternal electrode 72 has a face 88 parallel with the bottom face 12 ofthe substrate body 10, as well as a concaved part 82 which is concavedwith reference to this parallel face 88 toward the bottom face 12 sideof the substrate body 10 and whose shape at the face 88 is circular.This way, when the external electrodes 70, 72 are joined to landpatterns on a circuit board with a solder, the solder enters theconcaved parts 80, 82, which will increase the solder thickness at theconcaved parts 80, 82 and also produce an anchor effect from the solderthat has entered the concaved parts 80, 82. As a result, decrease in thejoining strength of the coil component 500 with respect to the circuitboard can be prevented, even when the coil component 500 is small insize. Because the shapes of the concaved parts 80, 82 at the faces 86,88 are circular, decrease in the joining strength of the coil component500 with respect to the circuit board can be prevented in all directionsparallel with the faces 86, 88. Additionally, because only the concavedparts 80, 82 are provided on the external electrodes 70, 72, sizeincrease of the coil component 500 can be prevented.

If, for example, the surfaces of the external electrodes are constitutedby flat faces only and no concaved parts are formed, the amount ofsolder supplied to the land patterns will decrease as coil componentsbecome smaller in size, and the joining strength between the coilcomponent and the circuit board will decrease as a result, as explainedusing FIG. 1B. In addition, a decrease in the amount of solder pastesupplied to the land patterns may cause the coil component to be mountedon the circuit board in a manner shifted from the prescribed position.For example, assume that the external electrodes of the coil componentthat has been picked up by a pickup unit of a component mounting machineare pressed against the solder paste that has been supplied to the landpatterns; when the pressing force is weak, parts of the externalelectrodes may not contact the solder and remain floating. If parts ofthe external electrodes are not in contact with the solder and remainfloating, vibrations will apply to the coil component when the pickupunit is raised by breaking the vacuum after the coil component has beenpressed against the solder using the pickup unit, and may cause theposition of the coil component to shift from the prescribed position.Also, if parts of the external electrodes are not in contact with thesolder and remain floating, vibrations will generate in such cases wherethe circuit board is transferred to the fusion furnace in the process offusing and curing the solder paste, and may cause the position of thecoil component to shift from the prescribed position. Conversely, whenthe external electrodes of the coil component are pressed against thesolder supplied to the land patterns, a strong pressing force may causethe solder to unevenly ooze out of the land patterns. In this case,reflow soldering may cause the position of the coil component to shiftfrom the prescribed position. As the size reduction of coil componentsis making land patterns smaller and thereby reducing the amounts ofsolder supplied to the land patterns, it is becoming difficult to adjustthe forces with which to press the coil components against the solder.

With the coil component 500, on the other hand, the concaved parts 80,82 are formed on the external electrodes 70, 72 and thus, when theexternal electrodes 70, 72 are pressed against the solder supplied toland patterns on a circuit board, the solder enters the concaved parts80, 82 and produces an anchor effect. This means that, even whenvibrations from raising the pickup unit by breaking the vacuum orvibrations from transferring the circuit board to the fusion furnace areapplied to the coil component 500, or even when the solder unevenlyoozes out of the land patterns, shifting of the coil component 500 fromthe prescribed position is prevented. In addition, formation of theconcaved parts 80, 82 on the external electrodes 70, 72 allowssufficient joining strength to be ensured between the coil component 500and the circuit board, even when the solder thicknesses formed betweenthe faces 86, 88 of the external electrodes 70, 72 and the land patternsbecome thinner. This makes it possible to mount the coil component 500on the circuit board at a shorter height.

From the viewpoint of preventing the joining strength of the coilcomponent 500 with respect to the circuit board from decreasing, byincreasing the anchor effect from the solder entering the concaved part80, 82 and the amount of solder for joining, the depths H of the deepestparts of the concaved part 80, 82 from the faces 86, 88 are preferably 5μm or greater, or more preferably 8 μm or greater, or yet morepreferably 12 μm or greater. The diameters D of the concaved part 80, 82at the faces 86, 88 are preferably 50 μm or greater, or more preferably120 μm or greater, or yet more preferably 190 μm or greater. On theother hand, from the viewpoint of exhausting the air inside the concavedparts 80, 82 and filling the entire concaved parts 80, 82 with thesolder, the depths H at the deepest parts of the concaved parts 80, 82from the faces 86, 88 are 20 μm or smaller, or more preferably 17 μm orsmaller, or yet more preferably 14 μm or smaller. The diameters D of theconcaved parts 80, 82 at the faces 86, 88 are, from the viewpoint ofexhausting the air inside the concaved parts 80, 82 and filling theentire concaved parts 80, 82 with the solder, preferably 300 μm orsmaller, or more preferably 260 μm or smaller, or yet more preferably220 μm or smaller. By keeping to these ranges, the concaved parts 80, 82can be formed in a stable manner using a relatively easy method.

As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D, providing multiple external electrodes 70,72 with concaved parts on the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10increases the number of concaved parts the solder will enter when thecoil component 500 is mounted on a circuit board. As a result, decreasein the joining strength of the coil component 500 with respect to thecircuit board can be effectively prevented.

As shown in FIG. 4, preferably the concaved part 80 of the externalelectrode 70 and the concaved part 82 of the external electrode 72 areprovided at positions symmetrical to each other with respect to thecenter line 28 passing through the respective centers of the sides 24,26, representing a pair of long sides, of the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10. This way, the coil component 500 can be preventedfrom tilting irregularly when its external electrodes 70, 72 are pressedagainst the solder supplied to land patterns on a circuit board.

As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D, preferably the internal conductor 50 has acoil conductor 52 that forms a coil, as well as lead conductors 54, 56which are led out from the coil conductor 52 and whose tip faces areconcaved from the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. Then,preferably the concaved parts 80, 82 are formed as a result of theexternal electrodes 70, 72 covering the bottom face 12 of the substratebody 10 and the tip faces of the lead conductors 54, 56. This increasesthe contact areas between the external electrodes 70, 72 and the leadconductors 54, 56, and therefore good electrical connection can beachieved between the external electrodes 70, 72 and the lead conductors54, 56. Also, because decrease in the joining strength between the coilcomponent 500 and the circuit board can be prevented owing to theconcaved parts 80, 82, the solder thicknesses between the faces 86, 88of the external electrodes 70, 72 and the land patterns on the circuitboard can be made thinner. As a result, the distances between the faces86, 88 of the external electrodes 70, 72 and the land patterns can bemade smaller, and therefore the electrical resistances between the leadconductors 54, 56 and the land patterns can be reduced. Because theelectrical resistances are reduced, the amounts of heat generated whenlarge electrical current is applied can be reduced.

The smaller and lighter the coil component 500, the more markedly thejoining strength of the coil component 500 decreases with respect to thecircuit board. When the size of the coil component 500 is expressed bylength×width×height, for example, preferably the concaved parts 80, 82are provided when the ratio of height to width (height/width) is 0.5 orsmaller, or more preferably the concaved parts 80, 82 are provided whenit is 0.3 or smaller. In addition, preferably the concaved parts 80, 82are provided when the height of the coil component 500 is 0.5 mm orsmaller, or more preferably the concaved parts 80, 82 are provided whenit is 0.3 mm or smaller. Incidentally, examples of coil component 500sizes (length×width×height) that make providing the concaved parts 80,82 preferable include: 0.2 mm×0.1 mm×0.1 mm, 0.3 mm×0.2 mm×0.1 mm, 0.3mm×0.2 mm×0.2 mm, 0.4 mm×0.2 mm×0.2 mm, 0.6 mm×0.3 mm×0.3 mm, 1.0 mm×0.5mm×0.3 mm, 1.6 mm×0.8 mm×0.3 mm, 1.6 mm×0.8 mm×0.4 mm, 1.6 mm×0.8 mm×0.5mm, 1.6 mm×1.0 mm×0.3 mm, 1.6 mm×1.0 mm×0.4 mm, 1.6 mm×1.0 mm×0.5 mm,1.6 mm×1.2 mm×0.3 mm, 1.6 mm×1.2 mm×0.4 mm, 1.6 mm×1.2 mm×0.5 mm, 2.0mm×1.2 mm×0.3 mm, 2.0 mm×1.2 mm×0.4 mm, 2.0 mm×1.2 mm×0.5 mm, 2.0 mm×1.2mm×0.6 mm, 2.0 mm×1.6 mm×0.3 mm, 2.0 mm×1.6 mm×0.5 mm, 2.0 mm×1.6 mm×0.6mm, and 2.0 mm×1.6 mm×0.8 mm, and the like.

The external electrodes 70, 72 may be formed in a manner extending fromthe bottom face 12, partially onto the bottom face 12 side of the endfaces 16 a, 16 b, of the substrate body 10. For example, the externalelectrodes 70, 72 may be formed in a manner extending onto the end faces16 a, 16 b, by the thicknesses of the solder supplied to the landpatterns on the circuit board, from the bottom face 12, of the substratebody 10. For example, the heights of the external electrodes 70, 72extending onto the end faces 16 a, 16 b, from the bottom face 12, of thesubstrate body 10, may be a height of 50 μm or smaller toward the topface 14 side with reference to the bottom face 12. This prevents solderfillets from forming on the coil component 500 when the coil component500 is mounted on a circuit board, and allows the solder to wet andspread over the external electrodes 70, 72 provided on the end faces 16a, 16 b. As a result, the joining strength of the coil component 500with the circuit board on which it has been mounted can be effectivelyimproved without increasing the mounting area. Although each face of thesubstrate body 10 may have its sides or corners tapered or rounded,etc., the external electrodes may be formed in a manner extending ontothese sides or corner portions.

While FIG. 4 illustrated an example where the shapes of the concavedparts 80, 82 on the face 86, 88 sides were circular, they may be oval.The overall shapes of the concaved parts 80, 82 may be spherical oroval-spherical with an outward bulge, for example. When the shapes ofthe concaved parts 80, 82 at the faces 86, 88 are oval, the lengths oftheir long diameters are preferably 1.2 times or shorter than, or morepreferably 1.1 times or shorter than, the lengths of the shortdiameters. By keeping to these ranges, decrease in the joining strengthof the coil component 500 with respect to the circuit board can beeffectively prevented in all directions parallel with the faces 86, 88.

The coil component 600 pertaining to the second embodiment of theinvention under the present application for patent is explained byreferring to FIGS. 5A to 5C. FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional viewsof the coil component 600 pertaining to the second embodiment of theinvention under the present application for patent, while FIG. 5C is aplan view looking at the bottom face, through the inside, from the topface side, of the coil component 600. It should be noted that, in FIG.5C, the internal conductor provided in the substrate body 10 is notshown for the sake of illustrative clarity.

As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the coil component 600 is such that the tipfaces of the lead conductors 54, 56 are not concaved from the bottomface 12 of the substrate body 10, but the tip faces of the leadconductors 54, 56 are flush with the bottom face 12 of the substratebody 10. It should be noted that the term “flush” used here is notlimited to “flat” in the strictest sense, and there may be a littleheight difference corresponding to a manufacturing error or so. Theexternal electrode 70 has a concaved part 80 on the opposite side of theside where the lead conductor 54 is led out to the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10 with respect to a center line 30 passing through therespective centers of the sides 20, 22, representing a pair of shortsides, that constitute the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. Theexternal electrode 72 has a concaved part 82 on the same side as theside where the lead conductor 56 is led out to the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10 with respect to the center line 30. The concaved parts80, 82 are provided at positions symmetrical to each other with respectto the center 32 of the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. Theconcaved parts 80, 82 are formed as a result of the external electrodes70, 72 extending over the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10 alongthe concaves formed on the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. Theremaining constitutions are the same as those of the coil component 500in the first embodiment and therefore not explained.

The concaves on the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10 may beformed according to the following method. Multiple green sheets arestacked in a prescribed order, including green sheets on which a resinhas been printed at desired positions where concaves are to be formed onthe bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10, after which a pressure isapplied in the stacking direction to pressure-bond the multiple greensheets. By cutting the pressure-bonded green sheets into individualchips and then sintering them, the resin is broken down and removed, andthus concaves are formed on the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10.Thereafter, external electrodes 70, 72 are formed over the bottom face12 of the substrate body 10, including locations where the concaves havebeen formed, and consequently concaved parts 80, 82 are formed on theexternal electrodes 70, 72. In the coil component 600, the depths at thedeepest parts of the concaved parts 80, 82 from the faces 86, 88 may be5 μm to 20 μm.

From the viewpoint of preventing the joining strength of the coilcomponent 600 with respect to the circuit board from decreasing, byincreasing the anchor effect from the solder entering the concaved parts80, 82 and the amount of solder for joining, the depths of the deepestparts of the concaved parts 80, 82 from the faces 86, 88 are preferably5 μm or greater, or more preferably 8 μm or greater, or yet morepreferably 12 μm or greater. The diameters of the concaved parts 80, 82at the faces 86, 88 are preferably 50 μm or greater, or more preferably120 μm or greater, or yet more preferably 190 μm or greater. On theother hand, from the viewpoint of exhausting the air inside the concavedparts 80, 82 and filling the entire concaved parts 80, 82 with thesolder, the depths at the deepest parts of the concaved parts 80, 82from the faces 86, 88 are 20 μm or smaller, or more preferably 17 μm orsmaller, or yet more preferably 14 μm or smaller. The diameters of theconcaved parts 80, 82 at the faces 86, 88 are, from the viewpoint ofexhausting the air inside the concaved parts 80, 82 and filling theentire concaved parts 80, 82 with the solder, preferably 300 μm orsmaller, or more preferably 260 μm or smaller, or yet more preferably220 μm or smaller. By keeping to these ranges, the concaved parts 80, 82can be formed in a stable manner using a relatively easy method.

For the coil component 500 in the first embodiment, an example was givenwhere the concaved parts 80, 82 were formed on the external electrodes70, 72 as a result of the external electrodes 70, 72 covering the bottomface 12 of the substrate body 10 and the tip faces of the leadconductors 54, 56 concaved from the bottom face 12; however, this is notthe only case. Just like the coil component 600 in the secondembodiment, the concaved parts 80, 82 may be formed on the externalelectrodes 70, 72 as a result of concaves formed on the bottom faces 12of the substrate body 10 at positions different from the lead conductors54, 56, and the external electrodes 70, 72 provided over the bottom face12 of the substrate body 10 including these concaves. Also, the concavedparts 80, 82 may be formed on the external electrodes 70, 72 in a statewhere no concaves have been formed on the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10. In this case, it may be such that the externalelectrodes 70, 72 are not present, but the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10 is exposed instead, at the bottom faces of theconcaved parts 80, 82. The concaved parts 80, 82 at the bottom faces ofwhich the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10 is exposed, may beformed by arranging the locations that will become the concaved parts80, 82 to be not printed on during the printing to form the externalelectrodes 70, 72.

Preferably the concaved part 80 of the external electrode 70 and theconcaved part 82 of the external electrode 72 are provided at positionssymmetrical to each other with respect to the center 32 of the bottomface 12 of the substrate body 10. This way, the coil component 600 canbe prevented from tilting irregularly when the external electrodes 70,72 are pressed against the solder supplied to the land patterns on thecircuit board. This prevents the coil component 600 from shifting fromthe prescribed position during reflow soldering.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are drawings showing other examples of the concaved parts80, 82 formed on the external electrodes 70, 72. FIGS. 6A to 6C are planviews, looking at the bottom faces, through the insides, from the topface sides, of the coil components, where the internal conductors arenot shown for the sake of illustrative clarity. As shown in FIG. 6A, theexternal electrode 70 may have two concaved parts 80 on the same sidewith respect to the center line 30 passing through the respectivecenters of the sides 20, 22, representing a pair of short sides, thatconstitute the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. The same goesfor the external electrode 72. As shown in FIG. 6B, the externalelectrode 70 may have two concaved parts 80 at positions symmetrical toeach other with respect to the center line 30 passing through therespective centers of the sides 20, 22, representing a pair of shortsides, that constitute the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. Thesame goes for the external electrode 72. As described above, providingmultiple concaved parts 80, 82 on the external electrodes 70, 72increases the number of concaved parts the solder will enter when thecoil component is mounted on a circuit board. As a result, decrease inthe joining strength of the coil component with respect to the circuitboard can be effectively prevented, even when the size of the coilcomponent is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 6C, the external electrodes 70, 72 may have concavedparts 80, 82 having bottom faces of larger areas than the end faces ofthe lead conductors 54, 56, at the locations where the lead conductors54, 56 are led out to the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. Inthis case, the amount of solder entering the concaved parts willincrease when the coil component is mounted on a circuit board, andtherefore decrease in the joining strength of the coil component withrespect to the circuit board can be effectively prevented, even when thesize of the coil component is reduced.

The coil component 700 pertaining to the third embodiment of theinvention under the present application for patent is explained byreferring to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a plan view, looking at the bottom face,through the inside, from the top face side, of the coil component 700pertaining to the third embodiment of the invention under the presentapplication for patent. It should be noted that, in FIG. 7, the internalconductor provided in the substrate body 10 is not shown, while theexternal electrodes 70, 72 are hatched, for the sake of illustrativeclarity. As shown in FIG. 7, the coil component 700 is such that agroove part 81, one end of which is connected to the concaved part 80and the other end of which is open to the outer edge of the externalelectrode 70, is provided on the external electrode 70. Similarly, agroove part 83, one end of which is connected to the concaved part 82and the other end of which is open to the outer edge of the externalelectrode 72, is provided on the external electrode 72. The groove parts81, 83 are open to the outside of the coil component 700 from the outeredges of the external electrodes 70, 72. At the bottom faces of thegroove parts 81, 83, the external electrodes 70, 72 are not provided,but the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10 is exposed instead. Theremaining constitutions are the same as those of the coil component 500in the first embodiment and therefore not explained.

According to the coil component 700, the external electrodes 70, 72 havethe concaved parts 80, 82 that are positioned on the inner side of theouter edges of the external electrodes 70, 72, as well as the grooveparts 81, 83 that extend from the concaved parts 80, 82 to the outeredges of the external electrodes 70, 72 and open to the outer edges.With the coil component 500 in the first embodiment, air may remain inthe concaved parts 80, 82 when the coil component 500 is mounted on acircuit board with a solder. In contrast, the coil component 700 in thethird embodiment can prevent air from remaining inside the concavedparts 80, 82 because the groove parts 81, 83 are provided that extendfrom the concaved parts 80, 82 to the outer edges of the externalelectrodes 70, 72 and open to the outer edges.

At the bottom faces of the groove parts 81, 83, the external electrodes70, 72 are not provided, but the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10is exposed instead. This way, the groove parts 81, 83 become deeper,which allows for effective prevention of air from remaining inside theconcaved parts 80, 82. It should be noted that the external electrodes70, 72 may be provided at the bottom faces of the groove parts 81, 83.

According to the third embodiment, presence of the groove parts 81, 83can effectively prevent air from remaining inside the concaved parts 80,82, and this allows the depths of the deepest parts of the concavedparts 80, 82 from the faces 86, 88 to be made even deeper. The depths ofthe deepest parts of the concaved parts 80, 82 from the faces 86, 88 areapprox. 5 μm to 50 μm, for example, and 30 μm in one example. Thediameters of the concaved parts 80, 82 at the faces 86, 88, as with theother embodiments, are 50 μm to 300 μm, for example, and 150 μm in oneexample.

From the viewpoint of preventing the joining strength of the coilcomponent 700 with respect to the circuit board from decreasing, byincreasing the anchor effect from the solder entering the concaved parts80, 82 and the amount of solder for joining, the depths of the deepestparts of the concaved parts 80, 82 from the faces 86, 88 are preferably5 μm or greater, or more preferably 20 μm or greater, or yet morepreferably 30 μm or greater. The diameters of the concaved parts 80, 82at the faces 86, 88 are preferably 50 μm or greater, or more preferably120 μm or greater, or yet more preferably 190 μm or greater. On theother hand, from the viewpoint of the amount of solder to be suppliedwhen the coil component 700 is mounted on a circuit board, the depths atthe deepest parts of the concaved parts 80, 82 from the faces 86, 88 are50 μm or smaller, or more preferably 40 μm or smaller, or yet morepreferably 30 μm or smaller. The diameters of the concaved parts 80, 82at the faces 86, 88 are, from the viewpoint of exhausting the air insidethe concaved parts 80, 82 and filling the entire concaved parts 80, 82with the solder, preferably 300 μm or smaller, or more preferably 260 μmor smaller, or yet more preferably 220 μm or smaller. By keeping tothese ranges, the concaved parts 80, 82 can be formed in a stable mannerusing a relatively easy method.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing another example of the groove parts 81, 83provided on the external electrodes 70, 72. FIG. 8, just like FIG. 7, isa plan view, looking at the bottom face, through the inside, from thetop face side, of the coil component, where the internal conductorprovided in the substrate body 10 is not shown and the externalelectrodes 70, 72 are hatched. As shown in FIG. 8, the groove part 81provided on the external electrode 70 is open to, among the outer edgesof the external electrode 70, the outer edge facing the externalelectrode 72. The groove part 83 provided on the external electrode 72is open to, among the outer edges of the external electrode 72, theouter edge facing the external electrode 70. The groove part 81 of theexternal electrode 70 and the groove part 83 of the external electrode72 are open in a staggered manner in the Y direction crossing (such ascrossing at right angles) the X direction in which the externalelectrode 70 and the external electrode 72 are facing each other.

As described above, the groove part 81 of the external electrode 70 isopen to, among the outer edges of the external electrode 70, the outeredge facing the external electrode 72, while the groove part 83 of theexternal electrode 72 is open to, among the outer edges of the externalelectrode 72, the outer edge facing the external electrode 70. This,when the coil component is mounted on a circuit board with a solder,prevents the openings of the groove parts 81, 83 from being blocked withthe solder. Also, because the groove part 81 of the external electrode70 and the groove part 83 of the external electrode 72 are open in astaggered manner in the Y direction crossing the X direction in whichthe external electrode 70 and the external electrode 72 are facing eachother, mutual interference between the air exhausted from the grooveparts 81, 83 is prevented when the solder is embedded in the concavedparts 80, 82. This allows for effective prevention of air from remaininginside the concaved parts 80, 82.

The coil component 800 pertaining to the fourth embodiment of theinvention under the present application for patent is explained byreferring to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a plan view, looking at the bottom face,through the inside, from the top face side, of the coil component 800pertaining to the fourth embodiment of the invention under the presentapplication for patent. It should be noted that, in FIG. 9, the internalconductor provided in the substrate body 10 is not shown, while theexternal electrodes 70, 72 are hatched, for the sake of illustrativeclarity. As shown in FIG. 9, the coil component 800 is such that theconcaved parts 80, 82 provided on the external electrodes 70, 72 areopen to the outer edges of the external electrodes 70, 72. For example,the concaved part 80 is open to, among the outer edges of the externalelectrode 70, the outer edge facing the external electrode 72, while theconcaved part 82 is open to, among the outer edges of the externalelectrode 72, the outer edge facing the external electrode 70. Theconcaved part 80 and the concaved part 82 are open in a staggered mannerin the Y direction crossing (such as crossing at right angles) the Xdirection in which the external electrode 70 and the external electrode72 are facing each other. The remaining constitutions are the same asthose of the coil component 600 in the second embodiment and thereforenot explained.

According to the coil component 800, the concaved parts 80, 82 providedon the external electrodes 70, 72 are open to the outer edges of theexternal electrodes 70, 72. This constitution, too, can prevent air fromremaining inside the concaved parts 80, 82 when the coil component 800is mounted on a circuit board with a solder.

Additionally, the coil component 800 is such that the concaved part 80of the external electrode 70 is open to, among the outer edges of theexternal electrode 70, the outer edge facing the external electrode 72,while the concaved part 82 of the external electrode 72 is open to,among the outer edges of the external electrode 72, the outer edgefacing the external electrode 70. The concaved part 80 and the concavedpart 82 are open in a staggered manner in the Y direction crossing the Xdirection in which the external electrode 70 and the external electrode72 are facing each other. This way, mutual interference between the airexhausted from the concaved parts 80, 82 is prevented when the solder isembedded in the concaved parts 80, 82. This allows for effectiveprevention of air from remaining inside the concaved parts 80, 82.

The coil component 900 pertaining to the fifth embodiment of theinvention under the present application for patent is explained byreferring to FIGS. 10A to 10C and 11A to 11C. FIG. 10A is a transparentperspective view, while FIG. 10B is a plan view showing through theinside, from the top face side, and FIG. 10C is a plan view looking atthe bottom face, through the inside, from the top face side, of the coilcomponent 900 pertaining to the fifth embodiment of the invention underthe present application for patent. It should be noted that, in FIG.10C, the internal conductor provided in the substrate body 10 is notshown for the sake of illustrative clarity. FIGS. 11A to 11C are viewsof cross-sections A-A to C-C in FIG. 10A, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C and 11A to 11C, the coil component 900 issuch that two electrically-separated internal conductors 50 a, 50 b arebuilt into the substrate body 10. The internal conductor 50 a includes acoil conductor 52 a that forms a coil, as well as lead conductors 54 a,56 a led out from both end parts of the coil conductor 52 a. The coilconductor 52 a extends radially. The lead conductors 54 a, 56 a are ledout straight from both end parts of the coil conductor 52 a toward thebottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. The tip faces of the leadconductors 54 a, 56 a are concaved from the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10. The internal conductor 50 b includes a coil conductor52 b that forms a coil, as well as lead conductors 54 b, 56 b led outfrom both end parts of the coil conductor 52 b. The coil conductor 52 bextends radially. The lead conductors 54 b, 56 b are led out straightfrom both end parts of the coil conductor 52 b toward the bottom face 12of the substrate body 10. The tip faces of the lead conductors 54 b, 56b are concaved from the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10.

Four external electrodes 70 a, 72 a, 70 b, 72 b, which are externalterminals for surface mounting, are provided on the bottom face 12 ofthe substrate body 10. The external electrodes 70 a, 72 a, 70 b, 72 bare provided near the four corners of the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10, and not provided on the top face 14, end faces 16 a,16 b, or side faces 18 a, 18 b. The external electrode 70 a has aconcaved part 80 a which is connected to the lead conductor 54 a exposedon the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10, and which is formed as aresult of the tip face of the lead conductor 54 a being concaved fromthe bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. The external electrode 72 ahas a concaved part 82 a which is connected to the lead conductor 56 aexposed on the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10, and which isformed as a result of the tip face of the lead conductor 56 a beingconcaved from the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. Similarly,the external electrode 70 b has a concaved part 80 b which is connectedto the lead conductor 54 b exposed on the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10, and which is formed as a result of the tip face ofthe lead conductor 54 b being concaved from the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10. The external electrode 72 b has a concaved part 82 bwhich is connected to the lead conductor 56 b exposed on the bottom face12 of the substrate body 10, and which is formed as a result of the tipface of the lead conductor 56 b being concaved from the bottom face 12of the substrate body 10.

According to the coil component 900, the electrically-separated internalconductors 50 a, 50 b, which include the coil conductors 52 a, 52 b, arebuilt into the substrate body 10. The lead conductors 54 a, 56 a led outfrom both end parts of the coil conductor 52 a are connected to theexternal electrodes 70 a, 72 a provided on the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10. The lead conductors 54 b, 56 b led out from both endparts of the coil conductor 52 b are connected to the externalelectrodes 70 b, 72 b provided on the bottom face 12 of the substratebody 10. The external electrodes 70 a, 72 a, 70 b, 72 b have faces 86 a,88 a, 86 b, 88 b parallel with the bottom face 12 of the substrate body10, as well as concaved parts 80 a, 82 a, 80 b, 82 b which are concavedfrom these parallel faces 86 a, 88 a, 86 b, 88 b toward the bottom face12 side of the substrate body 10 and whose shapes at the parallel faces86 a, 88 a, 86 b, 88 b are circular. This way, when the coil component900 is mounted on a circuit board, the solder enters the concaved parts80 a, 82 a, 80 b, 82 b and produces an anchor effect. As a result,decrease in the joining strength of the coil component 900 with respectto the circuit board can be prevented, even when the coil component 900is small in size. Because the shapes of the concaved parts 80 a, 82 a,80 b, 82 b at the faces 86 a, 88 a, 86 b, 88 b are circular, decrease inthe joining strength of the coil component 900 with respect to thecircuit board can be prevented in all directions parallel with the faces86 a, 88 a, 86 b, 88 b. Additionally, because only the concaved parts 80a, 82 a, 80 b, 82 b are provided on the external electrodes 70 a, 72 a,70 b, 72 b, size increase of the coil component 900 can be prevented.

FIG. 12 is a drawing showing another example of the concaved parts 80 a,82 a, 80 b, 82 b formed on the external electrodes 70 a, 72 a, 70 b, 72b. While FIG. 12 is a plan view looking at the bottom face, through theinside, from the top face side, of the coil component, the internalconductor is not shown for the sake of illustrative clarity. As shown inFIG. 12, the external electrodes 70 a, 72 a, 70 b, 72 b may each havemultiple concaved parts 80 a, 82 a, 80 b, 82 b. This increases thenumber of concaved parts the solder will enter when the coil componentis mounted on a circuit board. As a result, decrease in the joiningstrength of the coil component with respect to the circuit board can beeffectively prevented.

The coil component 1000 pertaining to the sixth embodiment of theinvention under the present application for patent is explained byreferring to FIGS. 13A to 13D. FIG. 13A is a perspective view of thecoil component 1000 pertaining to the sixth embodiment of the inventionunder the present application for patent, while FIGS. 13B to 13D areviews of cross-sections A-A to C-C in FIG. 13A, respectively. As shownin FIGS. 13A to 13D, the coil component 1000 is such that an internalconductor 50 c including a linear coil conductor 52 c that forms a coil,as well as lead conductors 54 c, 56 c led out from both end parts of thecoil conductor 52 c, is built into the substrate body 10. The leadconductors 54 c, 56 c are led out straight toward the bottom face 12 ofthe substrate body 10, and their tip faces are concaved from the bottomface 12 of the substrate body 10. External electrodes 70 c, 72 cprovided on the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10 have concavedparts 80 c, 82 c that are formed as a result of the tip faces of thelead conductors 54 c, 56 c being concaved from the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10.

Just like the coil component 500 in the first embodiment, the coilconductor 52 that forms a coil may extend radially; or, just like thecoil component 1000 in the sixth embodiment, the coil conductor 52 cthat forms a coil may extend linearly.

With the coil component 1000, the lead conductors 54 c, 56 c are eachled out as a single conductor from the coil conductor 52 c to the bottomface 12 of the substrate body 10 without branching; however, this is notthe only case and the lead conductors 54 c, 56 c may be led out to thebottom face 12 of the substrate body 10 after branching into multipleconductors. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view where the lead conductors54 c, 56 c are led out to the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10after branching into multiple conductors. As shown in FIG. 14, the leadconductor 54 c is led out to the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10after branching into three conductors 58 a to 58 c, where the tip facesof the conductors 58 a to 58 c are each concaved from the bottom face 12of the substrate body 10. The external electrode 70 c has three concavedparts 80 c that are formed as a result of the tip faces of theconductors 58 a to 58 c being concaved from the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10. The lead conductor 56 c and external electrode 72 chave the same shapes and are therefore not explained.

As described above, the lead conductor 54 c may branch into multipleconductors 58 a to 58 c and are led out to the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10, where the tip faces of the multiple conductors 58 ato 58 c may be concaved from the bottom face 12 of the substrate body10. The external electrode 70 c may have three concaved parts 80 c thatare formed as a result of the tip faces of the conductors 58 a to 58 cbeing concaved from the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. Thisincreases the number of concaved parts the solder will enter when thecoil component is mounted on a circuit board. As a result, decrease inthe joining strength of the coil component with respect to the circuitboard can be effectively prevented. Additionally, the external electrode70 c now contacts each of the multiple conductors 58 a to 58 c, whichallows for increase in the contact area between the external electrode70 c and the lead conductor 54 c. As a result, good electricalconnection can be achieved between the external electrode 70 c and thelead conductor 54 c. The same goes for the lead conductor 56 c and theexternal electrode 72 c.

When the lead conductor 54 c is led out to the bottom face 12 of thesubstrate body 10 after branching into three conductors 58 a to 58 c,preferably the lead conductor 56 c is also led out to the bottom face 12of the substrate body 10 after branching into three conductors. Thisway, the concaved part 80 c formed on the external electrode 70 c, andthe concaved part 82 c formed on the external electrode 72 c, can beprovided at positions symmetrical to each other with respect to thecenter of the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. As a result, thecoil component can be prevented from tilting irregularly when itsexternal electrodes 70 c, 72 c are pressed against the solder suppliedto land patterns on a circuit board.

The coil component 1100 pertaining to the seventh embodiment of theinvention under the present application for patent is explained byreferring to FIGS. 15A to 15D. FIG. 15A is a perspective view of thecoil component 1100 pertaining to the seventh embodiment of theinvention under the present application for patent, while FIGS. 15B to15D are views of cross-sections A-A to C-C in FIG. 15A, respectively.For the coil component 1000 in the sixth embodiment, an example wasgiven where, as shown in FIGS. 13A to 13D, one linear coil conductor 52c that formed a coil was provided in the substrate body 10. With thecoil component 1100 in the seventh embodiment, three linear coilconductors 52 c are provided in the substrate body 10, as shown in FIGS.15A to 15D. The remaining constitutions are the same as those of thecoil component 1000 in the sixth embodiment and therefore not explained.

It is not limited that one linear coil conductor 52 c is provided in thesubstrate body 10; instead, just like the coil component 1100, there maybe three or other multiple numbers of conductors.

The capacitor component 1200 pertaining to the eighth embodiment of theinvention under the present application for patent is explained byreferring to FIGS. 16A and 16B. FIG. 16A is a perspective view of thecapacitor component 1200 pertaining to the eighth embodiment of theinvention under the present application for patent, while FIG. 16B is aview of cross-section A-A in FIG. 16A. As shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B,the capacitor component 1200 is such that an internal conductor 50 dincluding a capacitor conductor 60 that forms a capacitor, as well aslead conductors 62 a, 62 b led out from the capacitor conductor 60, isprovided in the substrate body 10. The lead conductors 62 a, 62 b areled out straight toward the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10, andtheir tip faces are concaved from the bottom face 12 of the substratebody 10. External electrodes 70 d, 72 d provided on the bottom face 12of the substrate body 10 have concaved parts 80 d, 82 d that are formedas a result of the tip faces of the lead conductors 62 a, 62 b beingconcaved from the bottom face 12 of the substrate body 10. With thecapacitor component 1200, the substrate body 10 is formed by, forexample, barium titanate (BaTiO₃), calcium titanate (CaTiO₃), strontiumtitanate (SrTiO₃), etc. The capacitor conductor 60 is formed by, forexample, nickel, palladium, silver-palladium, or other metal material.The lead conductors 62 a, 62 b are formed by, for example, nickel,palladium, silver-palladium, or other metal material, just like thecapacitor conductor 60; however, metals such as copper and silver may beused in areas where inter-conductor potential difference does notgenerate.

The internal conductor built into the substrate body 10 may include acoil conductor that forms a coil, or it may include a capacitorconductor 60 that forms a capacitor. It should be noted that theinternal conductor built into the substrate body 10 may include, forexample, a conductor that forms a thermistor, varistor, etc.

The external electrode is not limited to a monohedral electrode providedonly on the bottom face 12, which is a mounting face, of the substratebody 10. For example, the external electrode may be a dihedral electrodewhich is provided on the bottom face 12 and top face 14 of the substratebody 10 and electrically connected by a through electrode thatpenetrates through the substrate body 10. In this case, electricalconnection can be achieved even when the passive component is mounted ona circuit board with its top face and bottom face oriented upside down.For example, the external electrode may be an L-shaped electrode havinga portion extending from the bottom face 12, to the end face 16 a or 16b, of the substrate body 10 as a solder wetting and spreading portion.In this case, when the passive component is mounted on a circuit board,solder fillets do not generate and the solder wets and spreads over theend face 16 a or 16 b into shape, which allows for improvement of thejoining strength without increasing the mounting area.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device 1300comprising the coil component 500 pertaining to the first embodiment ofthe invention under the present application for patent. As shown in FIG.17, the electronic device 1300 comprises a circuit board 90 and a coilcomponent 500 mounted on the circuit board 90. The coil component 500 ismounted on the circuit board 90 as a result of its external electrodes70, 72 joined to land patterns 92 provided on the circuit board 90 witha solder 94.

The electronic device 1300 is such that the coil component 500 ismounted on the circuit board 90. The coil component 500 has concavedparts 80, 82 formed on its external electrodes 70, 72. As a result, thesolder 94 enters the concaved parts 80, 82 and the external electrodes70, 72 will be joined to the solder 94. This means that, even when thecoil component 500 is reduced in size, decrease in the joining strengthbetween the coil component 500 and the circuit board 90 can beprevented. It should be noted that, while an example where the coilcomponent 500 in the first embodiment was mounted on the circuit board90 was given for the electronic device 1300, any of the coil componentsin the second embodiment through the fifth embodiment or the capacitorcomponent in the sixth embodiment may be mounted on the circuit board.

FIG. 18 is a plan view showing an example, when groove parts 81, 83 areprovided on the external electrodes 70, 72, of the positionrelationships between the groove parts 81, 83 and the land patterns 92on the circuit board 90. It should be noted that FIG. 18 is a plan view,looking through the inside of the substrate body of the coil componentfrom the top face side of the electronic device. As shown in FIG. 18, onthe external electrode 70, the groove part 81 is open to, among theouter edges of the external electrode 70, the outer edge facing theexternal electrode 72 and positioned away from the land pattern 92 onthe circuit board 90. On the external electrode 72, the groove part 83is open to, among the outer edges of the external electrode 72, theouter edge facing the external electrode 70 and positioned away from theland pattern 92 on the circuit board 90.

As described above, the groove parts 81, 83 are open to, among the outeredges of the external electrodes 70, 72, the outer edges other thanthose on the outer periphery of the bottom face 12 of the substrate body10, which are positioned away from the land patterns 92; as a result,the openings of the groove parts 81, 83 can be effectively preventedfrom being blocked with the solder. This, in turn, can effectivelyprevent air from remaining inside the concaved parts 80, 82.

The foregoing described the embodiments of the invention under thepresent application for paten in detail; it should be noted, however,that the invention under the present application for patent is notlimited to these specific embodiments, and various modifications andchanges may be added to the extent that doing so does not deviate fromthe key points of the invention under the present application for patentas described in “What We/I Claim.”

We/I claim:
 1. A passive component being a surface mounting component,said passive component comprising: a substrate body having insulatingproperty; an internal conductor built into the substrate body; and atleast one external electrode provided on a planar mounting face of thesubstrate body and electrically connected to the internal conductor;wherein the external electrode has a face parallel with the planarmounting face of the substrate body, and a concaved part which isinwardly concaved relative to the parallel face toward the substratebody and is located, as viewed in a direction perpendicular to theparallel face, inside the parallel surface so as to be surrounded by theparallel surface.
 2. The passive component according to claim 1, whereinthe external electrode has the concaved part and a groove part extendingfrom the concaved part to an outer periphery of the external electrodeand outwardly open at the periphery of the external electrode in adirection parallel with the mounting face.
 3. The passive componentaccording to claim 2, wherein the mounting face of the substrate body isexposed at a base of the groove part.
 4. The passive component accordingto claim 2, wherein: the at least one external electrode is constitutedby multiple external electrodes which are provided on the mounting faceof the substrate body; the multiple external electrodes include a firstexternal electrode placed toward one side of a pair of opposing sides,and a second external electrode placed toward another side, of themounting face of the substrate body; the groove part of the firstexternal electrode opens at, among all outer edges constituting theouter periphery of the first external electrode, and outer edge facingthe second external electrode; and the groove part of the secondexternal electrode opens at, among all outer edges constituting theouter periphery of the second external electrode, an outer edge facingthe first external electrode.
 5. The passive component according toclaim 4, wherein the groove of the first external electrode and thegroove part of the second external electrode are open at the respectiveouter edges thereof in respective directions which are the same but outof alignment in a direction crossing a direction in which the firstexternal electrode and the second external electrode are facing eachother.
 6. The passive component according to claim 1, wherein: the atleast one external electrode is constituted by multiple externalelectrode which are provided on the mounting face of the substrate body;the multiple external electrodes include a first external electrodeplaced toward one side of a pair of opposing sides, and a secondexternal electrode placed toward another side, of the mounting face ofthe substrate body; and the concaved part of the first externalelectrode and the concaved part of the second external electrode areprovided at positions symmetrical to each other with respect to a centerof the mounting face of the substrate body.
 7. The passive componentaccording to claim 1, wherein: the internal conductor includes a leadconductor which is led out to the mounting face of the substrate bodyand connected to the external electrode; a tip face representing an endface at a tip of the lead conductor is inwardly concaved from themounting face of the substrate body; and the external electrode isformed in a manner superposing it on and in contact with a surfaceconstituted by a part of the mounting face of the substrate body and thetip face of the lead conductor, wherein the concaved part of theexternal electrode is formed along the tip face.
 8. The passivecomponent according to claim 1, wherein the concaved part is entirelysurrounded by the parallel surface as viewed in the directionperpendicular to the parallel face.
 9. An electronic device, comprising:the passive component according to claim 1; and a circuit board on whichthe passive component is mounted wherein the external electrode of thepassive component is joined to a land pattern with a solder.
 10. Theelectronic device according to claim 9, wherein the external electrodehas a groove part extending from the concaved part and open at, amongall outer edges constituting the outer periphery of the externalelectrode, an outer edge positioned away from the land pattern, otherthan outer edges on an outer periphery of the mounting face of thesubstrate body.